Amateur Paint Questions

[The Critic]

Background: new-to-me house, the bedroom is currently pink. Prior to the pink, I think the room was purple and some of the purple was "bleeding thru." I plan on repainting the room to a more reasonable color - "cream puff."

Questions:

- Do I need one coat of primer or two coats of primer? Below are pictures of the room after one coat of primer. Also, I used about 1/2 gal of primer for this room; it is your standard 11x12 bedroom.

- What is the best way to do the edges? I used a brush to do the edges, but the results were mediocre. Note: I do not plan to paint the crown moldings or the ceiling at this time. The ceiling is also an unknown shade of white so I prefer to disturb this as little as possible.

- Should I do one coat or two coats of paint? I am using Behr Marquee.

- Any tips on rolling paint? I would like to achieve the best results possible.

Thanks!

 

[demarpaint]

I would ditch the 123 primer and use this Cover Stain Primer. You have bleed through, while latex primers make claims to hold back bleed through, they often don't. Which is what you're seeing here. Cover stain will hold it back, and can be applied over and under latex paints. The downside is it smells, open up the windows and use a fan. It dries in about an hour, I'd give it about three hours.

How are the ceilings? is there any bleed through? The reason I ask is with my monitor it looks like the prior owner might have been a smoker, if so I would prime everything with the Cover Stain. If what I'm seeing is just shadows then all you have to do it prime the walls to kill the bleed through from the prior paint job. FYI purple, reds, yellows and a few other colors often bleed. One good coat of Cover Stain is all you'll need, it can be tinted to get close to the finish color. I usually top coat it with two finish coats.

Going forward use Micro fiber rollers,3/8" or 1/2" work great. Forget about cleaning the roller used in the Cover Stain, wrap it in foil if you plan on painting multiple days then toss it. For latex paints wash them with soap and water. Use bristle brushes for the Cover Stain primer and a nylon [type] brush for the latex.

HTH

 

[chemman]

Since you live in California, you might not be able to purchase an oil based primer to use. We used the Zinsser 123 Bulls Eye primer with good luck in a couple of projects, but we were not trying to cover pink, which I know is a pain to cover.

You just might have to apply 2 or 3 coats of primer in order to have a "neutral" surface for the top coat. Also, the better your primer coats are, the better your top coat will look (and you just might be able to get away with just a single coat).

Note, painting is not an area of expertise for me.

Good luck!

 

[Amkeer]

I agree with Demar do one coat of primer and two coats of finish. Wait 24 hours between coats. Make sure you keep a wet edge. Avoid cutting in dry areas. Roll wet cut in wet. Stop at corners only. Your brush should be a high quality 3" brush and make sure all cans are mixed together before applying.

 

[BigCahuna]

Have whatever primer your using, tinted the same color as the finish coat. Try not to use the cheapest primer you can get as it is mostly water.,,

 

[skyactiv]

When masked properly, I've had great results using no brush along edges when using a lightly loaded
mini roller and giving the edges 3 thin coats. What I mean is that the roller is not loaded heavy with paint and doesn't go very far. After that I paint the walls and it looks perfect.
Never had any issues when removing the tape.

In my experience with painting and having a custom home built, I wont use any paint with universal colorants. Behr can rate good with Consumers Reports, but the store is using the same
crap colorants used in custom tinted paints you'd buy at Walmart.

Go into a home painted with Benjamin Moore or California Paints and it will pop.

Benjamin Moore Nantucket Fog:

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Zinsser has always got the job done for me. I used to own rentals. As for the suggestion of Benjamin Moore paints they are probably very close to the best I use it on my own home inside and out and on the outside of the rentals. Last like iron but its pretty spendy to use on rental interiors.

 

[MParr]

One coat of primer
Two top coats.
I like 3/8" or 1/2" nap rollers

 

[Astro14]

I once had to cover pink paint. One coat of primer. THREE topcoats to finally get rid of all the hint of pink in the plain white paint.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by Astro14
I once had to cover pink paint. One coat of primer. THREE topcoats to finally get rid of all the hint of pink in the plain white paint.


Primer is cheaper than good paint. If you think its going to be a problem two coats of primer. If you buy good paint rather than cheap paint it is going to have no trouble covering white primer with one coat.

 

[pandus13]

The Critic,
I'm just going to piggy back on what others said already or explain the terms for you.

First, since you are using plastic as drop cloths/floor covering, have a towel/old-t-shirts at the exit door, outside the room, in case you carry paint drops on your socks/interior shoes.

Second, cut in (with a brush or small roller and paint with regular 9" roller) Never Slap paint on the wall (paint that starts dripping on the wall)
Keep a "wet edge":
-brush, (cut-in) for ceiling/on top of boards, start from 2-3 inches into the already wet paint, get it on the wall, then comeback with a finishing stroke to kind of get rid of the brush hair marks
-brush, corners, make sure you don't get a lot of paint slapped into the corner, because is going to drip.

Rollers: it is a 2 phase:
-get the paint on the wall (I up and down, M/Z/W/whatever pattern on the wall)
-than, you spread the paint on the wall, with top to bottom, bottom to top, fine and constant and over-lapping roller touch. If you do it right, your arms and shoulders should not hurt, because you are not fighting pushing against the walls.
It is actually a very calm and calming activity.

Next, you start getting paint on the wall, next to your already done 1-3 feet wide batch, than you start spreading that paint on the wall on a "wet edge", from 4"-1/2ft into your already previous batch painted on the wall.

-depending on your speed, one wall at the time: cut-in, then paint on the "wet edge" of the cut in
-dip the brush in can/small recipient about 1-2 inches, than don't scrape but tap to sides; this guarantees your not dripping paint from your brush
-don't let you cut-in dry; otherwise lines
-make sure you don't have boogers (globs of paint), fuzzies (pieces of roll material)
-do not squeeze the roll dry
-do not have the wall with orange peel texture: it means you have not spread the paint enough on the wall
-do not let your roller get "dry"
-do not bump the ceiling/boards, left-right walls: it leaves a rough texture
-do not hurry: it is the recipe for a lot of drops flying from your roll all over the room and over you
-don't step on the paint tray
-make sure you are aware where your roller is and where your feet + tray are


I had good results in some rentals with Zinser 1-2-3 (RED, Blue, Purple, Orange, polka dots, kitchen), but my finishing was a contractor grade egg-shell (just enough shine to wipe the walls clean, but not super shine if sun outside) with lots of solids in, which guaranteed good coverage.

P.S. keep roller and paint brush in grocery bags in the fridge if you don't finish in one day
P.S.2: bottle of cheap vegetable oil/baby oil helps with paint stuck to hands.

 

[Chester11]

For what it's worth - go with a micro fiber roller cover. I have used different nap sizes, and found 1/2 is the best. Also pick up a extension pole to save your back. It is easier to see the lines from a bit farther off the wall.

The Behr paint is a little too thick for me. A contractor recommended adding a little Flotrol (it's in the spray paint area) to the paint. It seems to increase drying time a bit, but you can fix a paint run if you make a mistake. Or just go with Ben Moore as others have recommended - it is a bit more (no pun intended), but seems to go farther than Behr paint and with better coverage.

The edging tools do not work for me - just buy a nice slanted brush. If you keep it clean they last forever.

There is a guy on youtube - Idaho painter (or something like that) who has very good how-to videos. He has a great trick for taping trim (he adds a bead of caulk) if you really want to be obsessive.

 

[Gebo]

Demarpaint really helped me with my 3 bathrooms. I don't know about the other comments but I can vouch for him.

I also agree with skyactiv and JohnnyJohnson as I only use Benjamin Moore paints. I always thought they were the best.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Benjamin Moore is excellant paint, no doubt. Kelly Moore is a great 2nd choice...
I won't settle for less than those.
Good luch and have fun with it Michael.

 

[Donald]

Paint is cheap compared to your time. I like to cut-in the whole room and then start rolling. I use a 2" angled brush to do the cut-in. No taping except for the baseboard and then thats for roller splatter. You need to keep at it until you get good at cutting. Lots of light. I like cloth drop cloths.

 

[MParr]

I would like to add a couple of things.
#1: The Zinsser 1-2-3 is a fine interior primer.
#2: Roller covers are something you don't cheap out on.
I'm not a fan of paints carried by big retailers like Home Depot or Lowe's. I've had good luck with Benjamin Moore however, it's a little expensive. I've had really good luck with Porter, Pittsburgh and PPG.

 

[Donald]

And Purdy brushes are the only ones to consider for a brush. The bristles are encased in epoxy and almost never pull out. Frustrating to find a bristle in your otherwise good paint job.

 

[rekit]

+1 on not washing the rollers. I wrap them with plastic grocery bags, and then bag em again. Also use the roller holder that has a shield, and wear a hat and glasses when painting overhead.
"Don't step in the tray" LOL. Or knock it off the ladder.

 

[The Critic]

Thanks everyone, especially demarpaint and pandus13, for the advice. It seems like the common theme is to prime (more) with an oil-based primer before moving forward. Got it.

Originally Posted by demarpaint
I would ditch the 123 primer and use this Cover Stain Primer. You have bleed through, while latex primers make claims to hold back bleed through, they often don't. Which is what you're seeing here. Cover stain will hold it back, and can be applied over and under latex paints. The downside is it smells, open up the windows and use a fan. It dries in about an hour, I'd give it about three hours.

How are the ceilings? is there any bleed through? The reason I ask is with my monitor it looks like the prior owner might have been a smoker, if so I would prime everything with the Cover Stain. If what I'm seeing is just shadows then all you have to do it prime the walls to kill the bleed through from the prior paint job. FYI purple, reds, yellows and a few other colors often bleed. One good coat of Cover Stain is all you'll need, it can be tinted to get close to the finish color. I usually top coat it with two finish coats.

Going forward use Micro fiber rollers,3/8" or 1/2" work great. Forget about cleaning the roller used in the Cover Stain, wrap it in foil if you plan on painting multiple days then toss it. For latex paints wash them with soap and water. Use bristle brushes for the Cover Stain primer and a nylon [type] brush for the latex.

HTH

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. No bleed thru on the ceiling. I will pick up the Cover Stain after work this evening.

Originally Posted by pandus13
The Critic,
I'm just going to piggy back on what others said already or explain the terms for you.

First, since you are using plastic as drop cloths/floor covering, have a towel/old-t-shirts at the exit door, outside the room, in case you carry paint drops on your socks/interior shoes.

Second, cut in (with a brush or small roller and paint with regular 9" roller) Never Slap paint on the wall (paint that starts dripping on the wall)
Keep a "wet edge":
-brush, (cut-in) for ceiling/on top of boards, start from 2-3 inches into the already wet paint, get it on the wall, then comeback with a finishing stroke to kind of get rid of the brush hair marks
-brush, corners, make sure you don't get a lot of paint slapped into the corner, because is going to drip.

Rollers: it is a 2 phase:
-get the paint on the wall (I up and down, M/Z/W/whatever pattern on the wall)
-than, you spread the paint on the wall, with top to bottom, bottom to top, fine and constant and over-lapping roller touch. If you do it right, your arms and shoulders should not hurt, because you are not fighting pushing against the walls.
It is actually a very calm and calming activity.

Next, you start getting paint on the wall, next to your already done 1-3 feet wide batch, than you start spreading that paint on the wall on a "wet edge", from 4"-1/2ft into your already previous batch painted on the wall.

-depending on your speed, one wall at the time: cut-in, then paint on the "wet edge" of the cut in
-dip the brush in can/small recipient about 1-2 inches, than don't scrape but tap to sides; this guarantees your not dripping paint from your brush
-don't let you cut-in dry; otherwise lines
-make sure you don't have boogers (globs of paint), fuzzies (pieces of roll material)
-do not squeeze the roll dry
-do not have the wall with orange peel texture: it means you have not spread the paint enough on the wall
-do not let your roller get "dry"
-do not bump the ceiling/boards, left-right walls: it leaves a rough texture
-do not hurry: it is the recipe for a lot of drops flying from your roll all over the room and over you
-don't step on the paint tray
-make sure you are aware where your roller is and where your feet + tray are


I had good results in some rentals with Zinser 1-2-3 (RED, Blue, Purple, Orange, polka dots, kitchen), but my finishing was a contractor grade egg-shell (just enough shine to wipe the walls clean, but not super shine if sun outside) with lots of solids in, which guaranteed good coverage.

P.S. keep roller and paint brush in grocery bags in the fridge if you don't finish in one day
P.S.2: bottle of cheap vegetable oil/baby oil helps with paint stuck to hands.

Thank you - great tips.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by The Critic
Thanks everyone, especially demarpaint and pandus13, for the advice. It seems like the common theme is to prime (more) with an oil-based primer before moving forward. Got it.

Originally Posted by demarpaint
I would ditch the 123 primer and use this Cover Stain Primer. You have bleed through, while latex primers make claims to hold back bleed through, they often don't. Which is what you're seeing here. Cover stain will hold it back, and can be applied over and under latex paints. The downside is it smells, open up the windows and use a fan. It dries in about an hour, I'd give it about three hours.

How are the ceilings? is there any bleed through? The reason I ask is with my monitor it looks like the prior owner might have been a smoker, if so I would prime everything with the Cover Stain. If what I'm seeing is just shadows then all you have to do it prime the walls to kill the bleed through from the prior paint job. FYI purple, reds, yellows and a few other colors often bleed. One good coat of Cover Stain is all you'll need, it can be tinted to get close to the finish color. I usually top coat it with two finish coats.

Going forward use Micro fiber rollers,3/8" or 1/2" work great. Forget about cleaning the roller used in the Cover Stain, wrap it in foil if you plan on painting multiple days then toss it. For latex paints wash them with soap and water. Use bristle brushes for the Cover Stain primer and a nylon [type] brush for the latex.

HTH

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. No bleed thru on the ceiling. I will pick up the Cover Stain after work this evening.



You're welcome. I shared with you a fool proof way of dealing with it, based on over 40 years of using just about everything under the sun. If Cover Stain is sold in CA grab it! If 123 was up to the task you would't be seeing bleed through. Yes multiple coats of it will work. If you have the time and inclination to apply multiple coats you'll be fine. As a pro I try and work smarter not harder, and would rather not gamble. Imagine a month from now you see bleed through your finish coat, then what? Good luck!

Funny story. Years ago we helped a friend of mine who is a moonlighter/pro painter. He had a house with some light nicotine staining and I suggested Cover Stain. My friend said no way!!!! 123 will hold it back. I laughed and thought you can lead a horse to water. My reply was, OK you're the boss. A month later he got a call back to repaint two ceilings, due to bleed through. LOL My reply to him was, I told you so. Not really the right reply, but the appropriate reply based on his body language and comments when I suggested Cover Stain a month prior. LOL